I am sure that you have heard countless sermons about David and his accomplishments, from his defeat of the giant Goliath to his conquests in battle. But there is a particular account that you would have heard but not without its sugar coating, and that is the story of David’s encounter with Bathsheba.
We know about David but what about Bathsheba? Have you ever paid attention to what we don’t hear from the pulpit but what is smeared all over 2 Samuel chapter eleven?
Long story short…
Bathsheba was married to a guy named Uriah who showed loyal devotion
to his king, David and to his duty as a soldier in David’s army.
It was a Springtime evening when king David took a walk on
the roof of the palace. From this vantage point he saw a beautiful woman
bathing; intrigued, David sent someone to find out about her. Upon his return,
the man told David everything he had found out, including Bathsheba’s name and the
fact that she was “the wife of Uriah the Hittite”
Undaunted, David made a decision. David, the king, a man
after God’s own heart, made a decision in his heart.
Now might be a good time to remind you that “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery,
sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults.” (Matthew 15:19 CEB)
Notice that the bible makes a point of telling us that
Bathsheba, “was purifying herself from her
monthly uncleanness”. In other words, at that time, she would have
been observing a period of abstinence and separation from her husband. After king
David did what he did to Bathsheba, she
We often hear of David and Bathsheba’s adulterous affair,
but was it? Was it an affair or something else? To me an affair is consensual,
where both parties consent to an entanglement outside of their bonds of
marriage.
This, however, was not that. Let’s look at a few verses from
2 Samuel 11.
David, “saw a woman
bathing”
“David sent someone to find
out about her”
“David sent messengers to get
her”
David, “slept with her”
David, David, David, David. What about Bathsheba? Bathsheba did not
consent to this encounter. Yes, of course, she went when he sent for her, after
all, David is the king of Israel.
When the king summons you, you go. Well, not Vashti but
Bathsheba went, and most of us, if not all of us would go. There’s no
indication that Bathsheba had any idea why she was being summoned.
Beloved, let’s not pretend. Bathsheba was a victim of rape.
She was not a willing participant in David’s scheme. This was no lovey-dovey
affair.
Then to make matters worse, David in an attempt to cover up
this whole debacle, devises another terrible scheme and ultimately sends unsuspecting
Uriah to his death, and Bathsheba mourns.
“When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead,
she mourned for her husband.” – 2
Samuel 11:26 (CEB)
She mourned for her husband and undoubtedly grieved over everything
that had transpired.
What about Bathsheba?
After the period of mourning, the king sent for Bathsheba
yet again but this time he married her.
Bathsheba gave birth to their son, but that baby, conceived
through an act of defilement, died just seven days later. (see 2 Samuel 11:27) –
still, she must have mourned for her baby boy.
What…about...Bathsheba?
Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon (read 2 Samuel 12). Yes,
that same Solomon “whose wisdom exceeded that of
all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt.” (1 Kings
4:30 NLT). Yes, that same Solomon who became king after his father David (see 1
Kings 1:28-53).
And what about Bathsheba?
Bathsheba “went to ask the favor of King Solomon. The king stood up from his throne as she entered and bowed low to her. He ordered that a throne for his mother be placed beside his; so she sat at his right hand.” – 1 Kings 2:19 (TLB)
Bathsheba, after all that she’d been through, received
honour. God did not forget his daughter. He gave her “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness; that [she] might be called [a tree] of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” (see Isaiah 61:3 KJV)
Amen †
Shelley Johnson “What about Bathsheba?” © July 23, 2025
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